Snow on the Tulips Blog Tour

Welcome to the blog tour for Snow on the Tulips by Liz Tolsma!

A stranger's life hangs in the balance. But to save him is to risk everything.

The war is drawing to a close, but the Nazis still occupy part of the Netherlands. After the losses she's endured, war widow Cornelia is only a shadow of the woman she once was. She fights now to protect her younger brother, Johan, who lives in hiding.

When Johan brings Gerrit Laninga, a wounded Dutch Resistance member, to Cornelia's doorstep, their lives are forever altered. Although scared of the consequences of harboring a wanted man, Cornelia's faith won't let her turn him out.

As she nurses Gerrit back to health, she is drawn to his fierce passion and ideals, and notices a shift within herself. Gerrit's intensity challenges her, making her want to live fully, despite the fear that constrains her. When the opportunity to join him in the Resistance presents itself, Cornelia must summon every ounce of courage imaginable.

She is as terrified of loving Gerrit as she is of losing him. But as the winter landscape thaws, so too does her heart. Will she get a second chance at true love? She fears their story will end before it even begins.

Purchase a copy: http://ow.ly/q92YR

Meet the author: Liz Tolsma has lived in Wisconsin most of her life, and she now resides next to a farm field with her husband, their son, and their two daughters. Add a dog and a cat to that mix and there's always something going on at their house. She's spent time teaching second grade, writing advertising for a real estate company, and working as a church secretary, but she always dreamed of becoming an author.

She'd love to have you visit her at www.liztolsma.com.

Review:

War has torn Europe apart, and the Netherlands is no exception. Overrun by Nazi soldiers, the Dutch people live in constant fear. There are a few brave enough to resist the occupying Germans though. Gerrit Laninga is one of them. Cornelia de Vries is another. While Gerrit is working for the Resistance, Cornelia is hiding her brother from consignment into the German army. When Gerrit escapes execution, his path soon crosses with Cornelia's. Cornelia becomes involved with the Resistance to help out Gerrit (and prevent her hiding brother from doing it), and soon finds herself doing things she never imagined. As all this is happening, Cornelia and Gerrit grow ever closer. Will they both live long enough to share in their mutual affection?

I found this book to be really interesting. Cornelia was a character I could relate too. She wanted to do more but lived in constant fear of losing everything. However, she was able to find ways to help out, such as hiding her brother to keep him out of the army. When a very wounded stranger showed up on her steps, she did the only thing she could think of, which was to get him more help. Gerrit was interesting as well. He was actually out in the field trying to protect the country and people he held dear. This meant that he was no longer able to communicate with his family at all. I can't imagine what a hardship that must have been for him. Cornelia and Gerrit shared similar ideals and beliefs, so it was easy to see why they would be drawn to each other. Of course, war helps you to really know what's important, so I found it believable that they could fall in love so fast.

More than anything this book helped me to be thankful for the peaceful times I live in. This book is full of fear and tense moments. You can really feel that coming through the writing. The Dutch people lived through some incredibly horrible times, but many heroes came out of it. People began doing courageous things knowing they could die at any moment. That didn't matter though. They wanted their country back, and they were going to do whatever it took. I sincerely hope that I will never be faced with a situation like that, but if I did I could only hope to be able to go forward with as much strength and faith as Cornelia and Gerrit.

Book provided for review.